


Red Thread of Fate

by Rynling



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ancient Grumpy Wizard Ganondorf, Bitter and Disillusioned Phantom Ganon, Gen, Ocarina of Time Manga Ganondorf, Reincarnated into the BotW Timeline Ganondorf, Respect Between Enemies, Treacherous Usurper King Ganondorf, Unlikely Friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-06 08:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20504318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynling/pseuds/Rynling
Summary: In every era, there is a princess, her chosen hero, and the demon king who rises to challenge them. This is a collection of short stories about the ties binding Ganondorf to Zelda and Link in a series of five AU settings.





	1. Atlas Obscura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [@krokodilov on Tumblr](https://krokodilov.tumblr.com/) has put together [an amazing AU](https://krokodilov.tumblr.com/tagged/severed-head-au) in which Princess Zelda travels across Hyrule with Ganondorf’s severed head in order to reconstruct his body so that he can help her fight her uncle, the current king. It’s an epic story, and it’s fun to think about how much petty bickering there would be along the way.

Zelda stood on a cliff overlooking a wide plain that glowed golden in light of the rising sun. The land below her was crossed with rivers that shone like silver ribbons. A gust of wind blew through her hair, carrying the loamy scent of fallen leaves.

The disembodied head she carried under her arm sneezed. “It’s time to go,” he grumbled.

“Stop being so impatient, Ganon,” Zelda scolded.

“I keep telling you, it’s ‘Ganondorf.’ And I know you feel heroic standing here and looking out over Hyrule like this, but the sun is shining right in my eyes.”

“Why are you always complaining? I can’t figure out why you insist on being so unpleasant. It’s not like this story is going to have a happy ending, so you might as well enjoy the journey. Besides, you should try to be nicer, especially since I’m the one in charge and you’re dependent on me.”

“I’m so grateful,” Ganondorf replied with a scowl.

“That’s the spirit!” Zelda smiled as she basked in the warm sunlight. “Now tell me again where we’re supposed to be going.”

“I thought you were the one in charge.”

“I could just drop you off this cliff and meet you at the bottom, you know.”

“Be my guest. It might be better for both of us,” Ganondorf muttered.

Zelda ignored him. “So about that first temple?”

Ganondorf squinted as he studied the landscape. “It’s due east. You see where the main road veers to the south? You’ll leave the path at that point and continue toward the forest. There’s a large hill at the edge of the woods. You can tell it’s there by the shadow it casts.”

“Okay, I think I see it.”

“Fantastic. It’s good to know you’re not completely useless. The first temple is buried under that hill. It’s pitch-black in there, so you’ll need a lantern.”

Zelda made a noncommittal noise.

Ganondorf grimaced. “You did think to bring a lantern, didn’t you?”

“How am I supposed to carry you and a lantern at the same time?”

“You didn’t bring one. Of course you didn’t bring one. I don’t know what I was expecting.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a powerful wizard? Can’t you do magic or something?”

“You’ll see what I can do once I get my body back. Until then, don’t push your luck, Princess.”

“Don’t call me ‘Princess.’ I don’t want anyone to know who I am.”

“Good luck with that.”

“I just thought you might need a reminder, what with being a thousand years old and all. Maybe you’re going senile.”

“I’m not going senile, but if you continue to insist on standing here facing the sun I’m going to go blind, and then you’ll have to find the temples on your own. Princess.”

“I’m sure it can’t be as difficult as all that,” Zelda replied with a grin. “This is supposed to be a grand adventure, after all.”

“Sure,” Ganondorf said through gritted teeth. “An adventure. How marvelous.”

Zelda clicked her tongue, but she was too excited by the prospect of the road ahead of her to be bothered by Ganondorf’s sarcasm. “Just trust me,” she told him. “All we have to do is go to the temples where your body is sealed, and then you can kill the king for me. I’ve already worked everything out, and my plan is flawless. What could possibly go wrong?”


	2. The Wanderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I adore [@mjoyart](https://mjoyart.tumblr.com/)’s Wanderer AU series of [Breath of the Wild](https://mjoyart.tumblr.com/tagged/botw) comics. I’ve really enjoyed exploring the world the artist has created, and I wrote a brief bit of speculation on how Link and Ganondorf might have met in this timeline.

A horrible monster loomed over him, forming a dark silhouette of matted hair and jutting tusks. Its beady eyes glinted with malice.

Link braced himself to fight, but he’d already passed his limit many hundreds of footsteps ago. This was a battle he could not win. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps it might be better to lose. Link’s strength drained from his body, and he collapsed.

Ganondorf jumped off his shield with practiced ease. He’d been following the lone figure, who seemed to be heading for canyon of the Seven Heroines. What was a Hylian doing out here, especially with Vah Nabooris rampaging its way through the nearby ruins? This was clearly no ordinary traveler.

“I’ve never seen anyone faint from seeing a sand seal before,” Ganondorf muttered as he hurried to Link’s side. The young man was dehydrated and clearly suffering from sunstroke, but his eyes were still open. It seemed as though he’d arrived just in time.

Ganondorf knelt beside Link and lifted his head. “I’m going to pour some water into your mouth, but only a little,” he explained. “Try not to drink too quickly.”

“Demon…” Link whispered.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Ganondorf agreed amiably, “but you don’t look so great yourself. We’ll get you out of the sun once you can stand.”

Link took a deep swallow from the canteen Ganondorf help against his lips and started coughing.

“You need to raise your head higher,” Ganondorf cautioned. “I can’t have you dying out here.”

As Ganondorf held Link’s head and hands steady, he was able to take a close look at the young man’s face. His hair was as gold as the sand, his eyes were as blue as the sky, and his skin was as red as a voltfruit. He wasn’t dressed for the climate, and his exposed skin was covered in scars. Ganondorf felt a strange resonance in his chest. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the Hylian Champion himself. He’d heard rumors that the legendary hero had awakened once more, but he never imagined that Link would come to him of his own volition.

“No, this isn’t the place for you to die. After all, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” Ganondorf murmured under his breath. “Longer than you can possibly imagine.”


	3. Keep Your Friends Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Ganondorf employs Sheik as his servant and spy in the manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time has always intrigued me, and I sometimes wonder how that job interview might have played out…

The glass of the mirror shimmered, and Ganondorf’s reflection was replaced by a hazy image of a young Sheikah standing at the entrance to his castle.

“For Din’s sake,” he muttered. It was always something.

He could strike down the intruder from where he sat and get it over with, but he had woken up in a rare good mood and didn’t particularly feel like murdering anyone this morning. 

Ganondorf missed the days when would-be heroes announced themselves in advance before showing up to challenge him. He wasn’t dressed to make a grand entrance, and his hair was still a mess, so he would have to settle for teleporting himself to the ground level of his fortress. Materializing directly in front of the Sheikah wasn’t elegant, but it was effective.

Her eyes widened in surprise. To her credit, she didn’t flinch.

Ganondorf squinted to get a better look at her. On closer inspection, she wasn’t a Sheikah at all, but a Hylian teenager who had charmed her eyes and skin. She’d done a passable job, and Ganondorf couldn’t help admiring the sophistication of her spellwork. She must have some reason for presenting herself as a Sheikah, but Ganondorf couldn’t have cared less.

“It’s a bit early in the morning to assassinate someone, don’t you think? It’s generally considered polite to wait until after dark.”

The girl seemed taken aback, but she quickly recovered. “I did not come to kill you,” she explained. “I was sent to serve you.”

“My lord,” she added after a small pause, as if it caused her pain to address him by this title.

Ganondorf rolled his eyes. The nerve of kids these days.

“Cut the bullshit. I have to deal with at least two of you annoyances every year. To be frank, it’s growing tiresome. I thought you lot would leave me alone if I let you live, but it seems I was wrong. You can’t please everyone, I suppose.”

The girl didn’t respond, so he sighed and continued. “Are you going to insist that we fight to the death, or would you be content to go home with a nice scar or two to show to the other cretins in your unpleasant little village?”

“The Sheikah have long acted as aides to the monarchs of Hyrule. You are currently the king of this castle, Lord Ganondorf, and I have come to offer you my service.”

“You can serve me by going away. I have important business to attend to. Lakes to freeze, forests to burn, that sort of thing. Big picture stuff. Blackmail and torture aren’t on my schedule.”

Ganondorf made a dismissive gesture, but the girl made no move to leave.

“Look,” he reasoned, “I just had this place cleaned, and I’d prefer not to have to dispose of a body. Even with magic, I can never get blood stains out of the carpet. Why don’t you save us both a lot of trouble and explain why you’ve come here.”

The girl’s eyes flashed with rage. “Spare me your frivolity. The blood you’ve shed is on your own hands. Hyrule is suffering; even you must know that. Regardless of how you came to the throne, you are now the ruler of this kingdom. No king can bear this burden alone. Your solitude is not a testament to your power, but a weakness whose consequences are obvious to anyone with eyes to see. If you resent being called a demon by your people, then act like a man.”

Ganondorf studied the face of the young Hylian. He hadn’t met anyone with this woman’s strength of spirit since he left the desert – and, to give her credit, she was right. 

“Fine, then.” Ganondorf shook his head in resignation. “You’re hired. Congratulations.”

“My lord.” She knelt gracelessly before him, forcing him to step back to accommodate her sudden movement. Whatever she had been trained to do, it seemed she hadn’t yet learned to bow.

Ganondorf clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Stop that nonsense and tell me your name.”

“Sheik,” she said, as if daring him to challenge her.

“Sheik?” Ganondorf grimaced. “That’s a bit uncreative.”

The woman glared at him but said nothing. What was the purpose of this charade? And what did she want, exactly? Did she expect him to give her orders? Immediately? First thing in the morning? Who did she think she was? A young Hylian woman disguising herself as a Sheikah, who knew of a secret passageway into the castle and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind…

Ganondorf turned away from her so that she didn’t see the smile spreading across his face. Things had just become interesting.

“Come on, then,” he said, inviting her deeper into the castle. “I have a feeling you’ll prove useful. Do not betray my expectations.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf uses she/her pronouns for Sheik, who would more than likely prefer they/them pronouns. I imagine they'll get that sorted out eventually... among other things.


	4. The Demon King's Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf has tasked a young soldier named Link to hunt down the rebel princess Zelda. Every night Link returns to deliver a report, and every night Ganondorf taunts him, eager for their inevitable confrontation.

A message that Link had returned to the castle had made its way to Ganondorf, so Ganondorf waited for the precocious captain of the royal guard to present his report of his continuing failure to find the missing princess. Link would take his time, but he always came to him eventually. 

When Link entered his audience chamber, the young man had already shaped his face into a blank mask. 

“I did as you asked.” Link’s voice was a flat as his eyes. 

“And?”

“I followed the latest rumor to Kakariko Village, but nothing came of it.”

“I see. Perhaps you could be so kind as to assure me that you did everything in your considerable ability to sniff out the source of this rumor.”

“I followed the usual procedures, my lord.”

“I suspect you’re not informing me of everything you found.”

“Then perhaps you should go yourself.”

“Is that how you address your regent, boy?" 

Ganondorf was pleased to see Link’s jaw stiffen as he gritted his teeth. “You are a regent only as long as the princess is missing.”

“I’m sure you’ve conspired not to notice, but the princess seems in no hurry to be found.”

“One would think you owe the princess a bit more civility.”

Ganondorf lifted his facial muscles in an exaggerated smile, stretching the scar that marked his cheek. Zelda could have easily escaped without raising her weapon against him, but she chose to prioritize her opportunity to strike him over her own safety. Not that he blamed her; he had expected nothing less.

“I owe the princess no such thing. The only civility she granted me was a knife to the face.”

Link refused to snap at the bait. “If that is all you wished of me, I’ll take my leave.” 

“Then go.” Ganondorf waved his hand to dismiss him.

Link gave a shallow bow and stalked out of the lounge like a dog sent away from the table.

Ganondorf knew what Link was; he had seen the finely-honed skill with which the knight wielded his blade, and he couldn’t help but admire the gorgeous savagery on the young man’s face when he struck down his opponents. He knew that Link was destined to turn against him, and he looked forward to their fated confrontation with keen anticipation. On that day, he would finally stand against a true equal. Until that moment, he would keep the boy on a tight leash. It amused him to test the limits of Link’s loyalty to a kingdom that had long ago fallen to ruin, and he found his resistance fascinating. With the sole exception of the princess, cursed be her line, Ganondorf had never lost a battle of wills. Whether he could win a battle of blades, however, was yet to be seen.


	5. Ghosts and Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shadow of a hero comes to an understanding with the ghost of a monster. 
> 
> This story was inspired by [@krokodilov](https://krokodilov.tumblr.com/)’s illustration of [Dark Link and Phantom Ganon](https://krokodilov.tumblr.com/post/180111830086).

The surface of the lake was covered by a layer of fog so thick it was impossible to ascertain how far it stretched. A solitary island rose above the water, but it was small, only large enough to hold the roots of a single tree. Despite the vernal warmth, no leaves sprouted from the knots of its bark. A hulking mass sat under the twisted net of black branches, its back hunched forward.

_This is new_, thought the shadow that wasn’t Link.

He walked across the water, the soles of his boots barely sinking below the surface. Each of his footsteps was accompanied by a quiet splash, but the thing that had somehow found its way into his domain didn’t turn to face him. Not that he minded; the creature’s refusal to acknowledge him allowed him an opportunity to figure out how to approach it.

It made no sense for anyone other than himself to be in this place. He was a spirit created by the Sage of Water eons ago for the purpose of protecting the sacred spaces of this temple, and he took the form of whoever entered this chamber, which had been enchanted to disorient intruders.

The last person to set foot here was a curious set of contradictions – a boy who was not a child, a hero who was not a legend, a warrior who resented his own courage. The spirit could not become the young man who called himself Link, but he came as close as he could get, molding the contours of his form from the hollows of Link’s heart. He had no trouble taking the young man’s form or wielding his weapons; it was as easy as if he had always been Link. Given the current state of the temple, perhaps he always would be. It had been centuries since the building had been used to manage the reservoir on the edge of the great western desert; and, aside from Link and the current sage, no mortal had come to him in at least that long.

Whatever was sitting under the tree could not be mortal, for it was in no way affected by his magic. It occurred to the shadow that was almost Link that he had finally met another creature like himself.

He gave up the pretense of walking. There was no need to abide by the rules of men in the presence of another spirit, so he lifted his feet from the surface of the water and floated.

“Well met, stranger.”

The hulking figure on the island didn’t move.

“Don’t pretend you can’t hear me.”

“Who are you supposed to be?” it grumbled in a low voice.

“I could ask the same.”

“I’m just stopping by on my way home.”

The entity had probably been traveling through the void between dimensions, but it was odd that it had ended up in the Water Temple. It must have a connection to something here.

“Where’s home?”

“Damned if I know.”

Link drifted closer to get a better look, and the shadow raised its face to reveal a horned skull with pale embers in its eye sockets. Link jerked back so violently that he almost fell out of the air.

“My apologies.” The creature placed one of its spidery hands onto the naked bone of its skull and removed it like a mask. The dark aura surrounding it vanished to reveal a man with a lined face and tired eyes.

A vestigial memory stirred in Link’s mind. “If you don’t know where you’re going,” he said, fishing for information, “maybe you could tell me where you came from.”

The man regarded him with a blank look. Link suspected his question would go unanswered, but he waited anyway. It’s not as if either of them had anything else to do.

“I was created to defend a temple,” the man finally replied, “but it was only a ‘temple’ in name. It might have been a temple once, but that time has long passed, and it’s since been reclaimed by the forest. If there was any spiritual power in those ruins, I never sensed it.”

Link was overcome by an irrational burst of anger. “If you were told to guard something, then why are you here, demon?” he snarled.

“Call me Ganon.”

Link felt a small spark of recognition kindle in his mind. He could almost recall having met this man before, but the memory still evaded him.

“It was a place forgotten by time,” Ganon continued, “but the hero came anyway. He was awkward and uncoordinated, almost as if he was still figuring out how his own body worked. He would never have won against me without the sword he wielded. But I suppose you would know, you stink of having been touched by the same magic.”

Link felt another pang of recognition. It was too strong to ignore, so he searched through the hazy memories of the form he had borrowed. He looked closely at the man’s face, and suddenly he knew exactly who he was talking to.

“That temple in the forest – you destroyed it.”

“I did no such thing. It was destroyed long before the person who created me was born.”

“If not in this era, then in the past. You polluted this temple as well.”

The shadow that called itself Ganon made a sound like laughter. “Tell me, how long have you been here?”

“That has nothing to do with you.”

“No, but it has everything to do with you. The Sage of Water, does she know you’re here? Did she acknowledge you? Would she ever have come here if she didn’t need something?”

Link was filled with a fury as urgent as it was impotent. In all likelihood, this anger was a shadow cast by the brightness of the heart he so recently inhabited, but he was angry nonetheless. He was angry at Ganon’s suggestion that he had been discarded, but he was angry with himself for having harbored the same suspicion.

“I was created to carry out a duty, and I will serve my purpose with honor.”

Ganon laughed again, but it was mirthless, like the last drops of water being wrung out of a dry rag. “And I was created in the shape of a soul on the brink of shattering,” he said, “as a sacrifice to a cause no longer worth fighting for. Only the sharpest malice can split a soul, and I was manifested from a furious denial of a fate that cannot be changed. A phantom like myself could only have been created in darkness. Tell me, do you truly believe you were born from light? Why should your duty extend beyond the duration of the soul you were split from?”

“I am nothing like you,” Link growled. The slow and grinding passage of time had eroded his memories of who he once had been, but courage is never forgotten.

“Suit yourself.” A corner of Ganon’s mouth turned up in a bitter smile as he returned his mask to his face. He was once again draped in a darkness so profound that it swallowed the light that lingered on the pale surface of the lake. “Stay here and serve the masters who have left you behind. Guard your temple until the desert blows across the hills and claims what little remains here.”

“Wait!” Link called out.

To his surprise, Ganon did.

“Where will you go?”

“To a place beyond this.”

“What if I said that I wanted to go with you?”

“I could not stop you.”

“If I were to abandon my duty…” Link said softly, as if speaking to himself, “If I were to forsake the will of the sages and leave this place, would the gods even notice, I wonder.”

Link stretched his feet to the ground. He could feel the earth underneath the soles of his boots, but he knew the sensation was nothing more than a mirage. The island was a part of himself, a dream within a dream. The phantom was the first real thing he’d encountered since the borders of a once-great kingdom receded, and he couldn’t help but be drawn to him. If the circumstances of their meeting were different, would their souls still have called to each other? It was useless to speculate; he was just a shadow, and his memories of any life before this were as thin and faded as ghosts.

Ganon swept his shadow around him like a cloak and stepped out onto the water. “Let us be off, then. We’ve remained in this world long enough.”

Link stepped forward to join him, and the mist swallowed them both.


End file.
